Integration
by natie-chan
Summary: Those are not girls, those are gorillas!". Integration has been forced upon Seigaku's two tennis teams! Boys will have to learn how deal with manicured partners and their outrageous hairstyles. Will they live? EijiOC; RyoSaku :: No Mary-Sue
1. Serve: The Outrageous Team

Hello, Nana G. here! Anyway, this is my first PoT fic and no, the OCs will not be Mary-Sue! I dislike them just as much as the next person. Also, don't expect lengthy tennis matches, because I know nothing of it and greatly hate writing action scenes. Not to mention that I suck at them, too. I'd like to request for people not to ask me to write yaoi couples, not because I have something against them, but for the reason that I see the boys relationships as brotherhood rather than love and I'm against incest. Read on!

~^-^~

The idea had come from the conception that there was not enough integration between female and male clubs, even from the same sports. While you did see some girls cheering boys during their matches, you barely saw the contrary happening. Therefore, school boards met, discussed and reached a conclusion for such an unsettling matter:

**Integration**

**By natie-chan**

**Serve: Outrageous hairstyles, short skirts and loose socks! The Seigaku Female Team**

"I didn't even know we had a female tennis team!"

"So you thought those girls just walked around in tennis clothes and carried huge, heavy bags for the fun of it?"

"Maybe! Who knows, might be some new trend or something...Actually, I only thought they had the girls club, but it didn't participate on championships."

"Seigaku _has _a female tennis team. And it's pretty good as well."

"Have you ever seen they play?"

"...No."

Eiji smiled slyly, concluding that the fact Oishi hadn't watched an actual match proved his ignorance not that, well, ignorant. They were now walking to coach Ryuzaki's office to have a meeting about that new politic. As a matter of fact, Ryuzaki was supposed to tell them about it then, but Oishi had seen it on the morning news and spread word.

"So, what do you think they're like?" Oishi asked as they approached Ryuzaki's door. Eiji shrugged, opening the door. The rest of the team was already assembled, expressions varying from stoicism to outrage. Momoshiro and Kaidou were shouting about girls being crybabies and how they refused to play with them. The Golden Pair quietly took their seats and waited until the hot-blooded duo calmed down long enough for Ryuzaki to being speaking again.

"I guess, before I'm interrupted again, I might as well shoot the entire thing nonstop. Questions will come later." She added when Inui's glasses glinted. "School boards are concerned about the lack of unity between girls and boys of same clubs. They feel this disunion is creating a gap in school spirit and skills, as well as robbing both sides of possible friendships. Therefore!" Ryuzaki raised her hand in a silencing motion when Momoshiro threatened to explode again "Training will now be integrated and there's also going to be an Integrated National Championship. So, that's that."

Eiji waited. Exact three seconds of stunned silence followed before Momoshiro and Kaidou started screaming again. Sighing, the acrobatic player looked at Inui, who already had his trusty notebook out. "So, Inui, do you have any data on the girl's team?"

"Very little. Half are third-years, half are second. Got a pretty good rank and almost went to nationals. The captain is Shizuka Yanagimoto, but she isn't in any of our classes. You might know Ayumi Eguchi; she's in your class."

"Eh!? Eguchi?!" Eiji's eyes widened "No way she plays tennis!"

"Why not?" Inui asked, sniffing good data.

"Eguchi-san is very self-conscious about her appearance." Fuji explained, the usual smile plastered to his face. Eiji snorted.

"Self-conscious is too light. You should take a look at her nails."

"Manicured?"

"Like a J-Pop's idol."

"Man, this sucks!" Momoshiro groaned, holding his head with both hands. "When does this stupid thing begin?!"

"Today." Ryuzaki sighed. Then her expression turned severe. "Now, I warn you boys! I hear from the girls coach that they took the news very graciously! I know you're not happy, but don't you take it out on them!"

"Who should we take it out on, then?" Ryoma asked, looking up from under his cap.

"The School Board."

"How?"

"Write a letter."

**~*~**

[**A/N**: In case you don't know, dyed hair is frowned upon at Japanese schools. People go as far as think people who dye their hair are delinquents. Also, tattoos are greatly disliked for being associated with the Japanese mafia, yakuza.]

"Eguchi, Ayumi!"

"Present."

'_No way._' Eiji thought, staring hard at the girl located on the row next to him, one seat up. Her long nails were square-shaped, pearl-colored and each had a large, pink Swarovski crystal circled by smaller, clear ones adorning the curve where it ended. Also, if the girl's sizing him up with an attitude that bordered hostile when he came into the room was how she had accepted the news 'graciously', Eiji wasn't too eager to discover how she was when unsatisfied.

"Fuji..."

"Yes, Eiji?"

"Her hair is dyed."

Fuji chuckled. "Yes. I remember it was a dark brown when we were first years."

"It's _dark blond_!"

"I'd go for light auburn."

"Kikumaru! Fuji! Something you'd like to share with the class?" The teacher barked, making Fuji look up and Eiji to jump.

"No, sir! Sorry!" Both said, bowing. Eiji saw Eguchi place a strand of hair behind her ear ('Look at the size of that earring!!!' He thought) and twirl the end between her fingers lazily. The crystals glinted in the sun and Eiji slumped on his seat.

**~*~**

"Is that them?"

"Yes."

"Well, they don't look so bad." Oishi said from his spot between Tezuka and Inui. Their teacher hadn't arrived yet and the three of them were studying two talking girls in the hallway. One of them had her black hair cut in a prim bob and the other had long, straight-cut sandy brown hair without any bangs. "So, who's who?"

"Shizuka Yanagimoto, the captain, is the black haired one. Masumi Shiratori is the vice-captain. Yanagimoto plays Doubles 2 and Shiratori's usually Singles 2."

"Doubles 2?" Oishi inquired. Inui nodded.

"Yes. She's a good supporter, mostly avoid the game maker position. However, I hear she has great leadership skills and is well-liked by most of her class and teammates. Shiratori, being quite controlling, has troubles adjusting to double-playing. I hear she's quite the control-freak."

"Hm." Tezuka nodded. Oishi couldn't suffocate the worry that crept up his spine when Yanagimoto bubbled with laughter. How that baby-faced giggle-machine would work with his stoic captain was beyond him. Inui seemed to be thinking the same, since he smiled wickedly and claimed he would gather good data.

**~*~**

"I heard they have a girl who is part of a gang!"

"No way!!!"

Ryoma sighed as Horio went on and on about the girls tennis team and Kachiro and Katsuo grew more and more nervous about the afternoon training. "Hey, Sakuno!" Horio called, "Isn't it true there's a really scary member on the female team?"

Sakuno blushed nervously before answering "Well...I guess Arishima-senpai's looks are a bit unusual..."

"Ah, that's the one! Jun Arishima! I remembered her name now! She's the yakuza one!"

"N-no..."

**~*~**

"Hey, Mamushi, are you sure this is their classroom?" Momoshiro whispered to Kaidou as they kneeled under a window.

"Yeah. Inui-senpai told me."

"And what are their names again?"

Kaidou took out a rumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "Eri Mifune, Madoka Jukodo, Ren Murasaki and Yuka Ono."

Both boys slowly raised their heads, peeping inside the filling classroom. It dawned on Momoshiro he didn't know how they looked like and he was about to ask Kaidou for a clue when the bandana-wearing boy nodded towards a group of girls gathered around a magazine. "The redhead is Mifune. Jukodo is the one with wavy, long hair, Ono has shorter hair. And the blonde is Murasaki."

"Is her hair really blonde?"

"Her mom is English or something."

"Oh." Momoshiro analyzed them a little more before groaning. "Well, this sucks. They all look pretty weak. Look at those thin arms."

"What did you expect, stupid? Brawny girls?"

"No, but...Hey, who are you calling stupid, stupid?!"

"You, dumbass!"

"Say that to my face if you're a man!"

"I _am _saying that to your face!!"

**~*~**

It was with a general feeling of unsettledness that the male tennis team gathered that afternoon. Upon arriving at the courts, they saw Ryuzaki talking to who they supposed to be the female's coach. They also caught themselves trying to guess if the person was male or female.

"You guys, this is Aki Yoshifumi, Seigaku female tennis team's coach." Ryuzaki said and they bowed. Aki Yoshifumi, it seemed, would remain on the 'Gender Unknown' category for a while. "Coach here just told me the girls will be arriving shortly, so please be patient."

"Why aren't they here yet?" Momoshiro asked, fully intentioned in being impatient.

"They refused to change until the suspicion that a cockroach had runned inside their changing room was proved wrong." Aki answered, smiling brightly. Momoshiro and Kaidou seemed ready to attack him/her, whereas the others settled for sweat-dropping. "But there, here they come."

The boys turned and stared. They stared because it never occurred to them Seigaku would allow such short skirts to be worn. They stared because the girl's socks were all loose socks, another thing they didn't assume Seigaku would allow. But mostly they stared because the female tennis team did really seem to be composed mostly of gang members, especially the tallest one...

"Your hair is rastaferried!" Momoshiro exclaimed, pointing to said tallest member.

"Rastafari, actually." The girl corrected, yawning. "Nice to meet you, I'm Jun Arishima."

"Ne, Momo-chan..." Eiji began, noticing how Eguchi's ('Make-up! She wears _make-up _to train!') eyes narrowed at Momoshiro's comment and expression.

"You're taller than Inui-senpai!"

"So what? You're dumber than a rock and you don't see her making any comments about it." Eguchi replied acidly, throwing her hair over one shoulder. Captain Yanagimoto's 'Ayumi!' was drowned by Kaidou's chuckle, Ryoma and Inui's low whistle and the general gasp that followed her reply.

"All right, enough." Ryuzaki said, rubbing her temples. Aki patted her on the shoulder. "I think we need to run some laps and cool ourselves off. Warm up and give me twenty. We'll do proper introductions later."

Eiji began to warm up, a small voice in his mind inquiring how the girls would do the same while wearing such skirts. His eyes found the answer when Eguchi adjusted carefully rolled up spandex shorts underneath her skirt. Pairing up with Oishi, he quietly asked:

"So, first impressions?"

"Eguchi's pretty quick-tempered."

"Quick? That was instantaneous!" Eiji hissed, watching as the object of their talk chattered with Jun Arishima.

"She didn't say anything when Momoshiro commented on Arishima's hair." Oishi shrugged. "Although I'm not saying it was okay for her to say that, Momo was pretty rude."

"Well, yeah...But still!" Eiji insisted. Eguchi had her legs spread to her sides, holding her left foot. "I mean, look at her!"

Oishi looked. "Okay, she does look a bit...over-dressed for tennis practice."

"That's not Ayu-chan's fault, though."

Eiji and Oishi started, looking to their right side. Eri Mifune smiled brightly at them, her curly hair tied in low pigtails. "She's Ren and Yuka's guinea pig."

"Guinea pig?"

"Yeah. Ren loves creating nail designs and Yuka's into hair-styling. They try it out on Ayu-chan, who's the only one who'll let them. It makes them work harder too, 'cause if it turns ugly, Ayu-chan will be pretty mad."

Eiji laughed nervously. She was a nuclear bomb, then, that Eguchi. "Anyway, it's good you're showing interest in her, Kikumaru-senpai." Eri went on, smiling. "After all, there's a big chance you'll be paired up with her."

"What?!" Oishi and Eiji exclaimed, halting their warm-up. Eri just giggled.

"Well, you're doubles 1, and so is Ayu-chan and Jun-chan. You two are gonna be integrated with one of them, I guess."

"Oishi!!!" Eiji hissed nervously, "I can't be paired up with Eguchi! I'm afraid of her!"

Oishi sweat-dropped, staring at Jun. She looked very imposing, being so tall and having such a hairstyle. Still, she seemed positively like the calmest member of the team. "Calm down, Eiji, you might get Arishima-san."

"That's only slightly less scary!!!" Eiji complained desperately, grabbing Oishi's collar.

On the other side of the court, Kaidou and Ryoma had teamed up against Momoshiro, who was being restrained, with some difficulty, by Kawamura.

"Being told off like that...Seems like Momo-senpai won't be popular among _those _girls." Ryoma remarked slyly, knowing only too well about his senpai's wishes to be liked by as many girls as possible.

"They're not _girls_! They're gorillas!" Momoshiro grunted, failing at flipping Ryoma's cap off. "That Eguchi looked like she could scratch someone's eyes off with those nails! And besides, her voice is kinda nasal and screechy..."

"C'mon, there was nothing wrong with her voice." Kawamura sighed.

"So now you're afraid of some thin-armed girl's nails?" Kaidou asked, remembering the other boy's earlier comment. Momoshiro blushed furiously, turning his attention to Kaidou.

"Be quiet, you snake! Or are you gonna tell me that they all look normal to you?"

The four boys analyzed the female team. Truth be told, the only normal ones seemed to be the captain, vice-captain, Madoka Jukodo and Yuka Ono. Ren Murasaki's hair fluffed around her head like a platinum blond cloud and Eri Mifune's looked like a hyper-active, well, dork.

"I hear Jukodo and Ono are cousins." Kawamura said, watching the quiet duo finish their warm-up and wait for the rest. "They sure look alike, so maybe it's true."

"I just hope they're strong." Ryoma said, noticing Sakuno talking to her grandmother. His eyes fell on Tezuka and Fuji, who were also finished, and watched as Shizuka Yanagimoto approached the captain.

"Tezuka-kun, I'm sorry about Ayumi's outburst just then." Shizuka said, bowing. "I'll have a talk with her later."

Tezuka shook his head, "Momoshiro was at fault as well. Don't worry, I'll make sure such comments don't arise again."

Shizuka nodded, smiling brightly. "Well, then..." She turned around, distancing herself from the two boys. Fuji stretched his arms high above his head, before asking:

"So, what do you think?"

"They look undisciplined. It's very probable they'll be too below our standards."

"Standards, huh." Fuji's grin grew wider. "But then again, you're saying that by _your _standards, right?"

"Yes."

"Then there's a chance you'll be proven wrong."

Tezuka glanced briefly at his friend, before nodding. "Maybe."

"Okay, everyone! Laps!" Ryuzaki shouted, clapping her hands. The two teams lined up and got ready to begin. Eiji felt electricity run through his spine and turned to Oishi.

"Hey, Oishi, don't you feel like..."

"We're on a race?" Oishi completed before nodding.

"This is bad." Eiji sighed, realizing Inui's notebook was out and the tall boy looked eager to begin writing.

Ryuzaki got her chronometer ready. "Okay...Start!"

**~End of Chapter One~**

**Chapter Two Preview:**

_Eiji jumped in the air, feeling totally at ease, and returned the ball to Jun and Eguchi's court with a fast and strong hit. He grinned, confident about scoring and landed easily. His eyes were closed, a slightly cocky gesture, as he heard the ball hit the court and then the chain fence. 'Kikumaru: 1. Eguchi: 0', he thought. Opening his eyes, he was puzzled to see Eguchi's triumphant smirk. Searching the court, he saw the yellow ball resting on the ground. On his side._

**Comments:**

I repeat I'm not making my characters Mary-Sue, but that doesn't mean that they're gonna be bad at tennis. I've always hated how most shounen anime/manga lack strong female characters that can compete with the guys. Therefore, please don't send me any reviews saying "There's no way she could beat Fuji/Tezuka/Ryoma/etc!". If they can reach a level of genius, so can the girls. And let's face it, PoT doesn't lack tennis genius, so what's a few more (especially on the female side, where there are NO really good players)? Also, sorry if this chap is a bit rushed. The pace will slow down from now on, I just really wanted to introduce the characters and get the thing going.

Also, this is rather Eiji-centric, although I have a tendency to lean towards Fuji as well. Thank you for reading and please review! Flames will be used to boil Inui's latest concoctions! Feel free to suggest pairings and other things you'd like to see. But do review, please!!!


	2. Block: The Battle of the Sexes

Some points were brought up on reviews, so I think I wasn't clear enough: None of these girls is gonna get their own series called 'Princess of Tennis' anytime soon. They're strong, yes, but not Ryoma strong. I don't think that discredits them since Ryoma is, like, the Neo of tennis. Also, this is not 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'. Not everyone is getting hooked up on this fic. Only a chosen few kukuku...More detailed replies at the bottom of the chapter! \o/

**Disclaimer: **My birthday is close. Feel free to bestow PoT's copyrights upon me, since I don't own the series yet! *_*

**Integration**

They were all panting slightly. Eiji watched as Eguchi massaged her neck, closing her eyes. The boys had run to escape Inui's juice, the girls had run to beat them and to Eiji's surprise, they had arrived together. "All right, we're gonna have some matches now to see how the teams are doing." Ryuzaki said. Eiji grinned.

**Block: The Battle of the Sexes! Forget Riggs vs. King, Seigaku has its own fighters!**

**By natie-chan**

"Coach Ryuzaki and I decided to test how players do against each other, so we're gonna have one-set matches between Doubles 2 and 1 and all Singles positions. Then, we'll mix you guys up based on analysis to decide who'll be better integrated with who. Understood? Good. Doubles 2 get ready on court A." Coach Yoshifumi explained. "So, it will be Shizuka and Eri against Momoshiro and Kaidou."

Both teams made their way to court A. Eiji caught up to Momoshiro and Kaidou, throwing his arms around their shoulder. "Hoi! Don't lose, 'kay? We wanna impress them." He grinned. Kaidou replied with a determined 'Yes, senpai!', but Momoshiro winked and smirked arrogantly.

"I'm gonna dazzle them with my male power." Momoshiro claimed and seemed about to add something else when Eguchi walked by, hands clasped behind her back, and eyeing them sideways. Eiji followed her with his eyes as she walked past them, missing Momoshiro's grumbling. "Hey, senpai!" He repeated, claiming Eiji's attention again. "I said, you better beat her on Doubles 1! We need to fix that arrogant attitude of hers."

"What? Oh." Eiji nodded, letting go of them. Eguchi had her racquet with her. He studied her with trained eyes. She was light; there would be no way she would be able to smash effectively. But Eguchi had well-toned legs, meaning she probably was fast. Her feet were too small, though, sacrificing her balance. He sighed, twirling his racket around his wrist. Eguchi was probably a net player like himself. The thought of having her glare at him for an entire set at such distance didn't settle well with Eiji.

"Hey, airhead, you're gonna miss it." Oishi chuckled, tapping him on the shoulder. Eiji's head snapped up and he nodded, turning his attention to the court where both teams were already positioned.

**~*~**

"Well, no surprise there." Ayumi sighed, taking off her jacket. Shizuka and Eri had lost, but the Doubles 1 player had expected it. Although Eri was fast enough to return Kaidou's tricky shots, neither girls were a match against Momoshiro's Dunk Smash. Overall, though, the girl assumed it could be much worse. It had been a close score. "Hey, Jun, you ready?" She asked, pulling her hair up in a messy bun.

"Yep." The tall girl answered, stretching. Ayumi walked into the court without glancing at Oishi and Eiji. The way the last one acted had always been a cause of annoyance for her. His constant cat-like attitude and lines such as 'He no Kappa' had earned him Ayumi's dislike. Whereas her looks came from the want to feel good about herself, Ayumi believed Eiji's flashy antics was just the burgundy-haired boy showing off.

And she really did hate show-offs.

"Hey, Ayu." Jun said, grinning earnestly, "Remember they're the Golden Pair."

The shorter girl smiled superiorly, positioning herself. "Idiot. Don't you know gold is one of the weakest metals there are?"

She threw the ball upwards, tensing her muscles, and watched it slowly fall back. Her arm moved, connecting the racket and the ball when its trajectory was at its apex. The ball flew to the Golden Pair's court so fast that Eiji, at the net, started. Ayumi smirked, running to her position.

'_Integrate this_.'

**~*~**

"Dang..." Eiji frowned as Eguchi got ready to serve again. Across from him, Jun smiled knowingly.

"Quite the cannonball, right..."

"Wha-SHOOT!" Eiji lunged, his racket missing the ball by inches. He shot Oishi an apologetic glance, to which the vice-captain merely shook his head in dismissal. "How is she doing that?!" He mumbled to himself, studying Eguchi as she evened her breathing. Her arms muscles weren't developed enough for Eiji to say that she served like that always. It seemed she was putting herself under a fair amount of strain to obtain such explosive services.

"Headstrongness. She gets like that sometimes." Jun explained, making Eiji snap back to the game. "Concentrate and block that serve. I wanna play, too." The rastafaried girl sighed in boredom.

"Heads up, Eiji!" Oishi shouted. Eiji ran, this time connecting his racket to the ball successfully and sending it back to the girls' court. Jun hit it back and Oishi received with ease. It dragged like that for a while, until Eiji finally gave in to his instincts. "Enough with the boring game!" He grinned, tensing his muscles.

He watched as Eguchi smacked the ball towards him, her brown eyes aflame. It suddenly dawned on him the possibility that this girl he had never really spoken to hated him. Her entire demeanor towards him confirmed that. Eguchi's shoulders were always taut whenever he was near and she more often than not looked at him like he was some sort of disgusting bug who had crawled into her view. Eiji frowned, extremely miffed. He couldn't see why she disliked him so much, but the overall feeling was reciprocated. There was no way he would go easy on her.

Eiji jumped in the air, feeling totally at ease, and returned the ball to Jun and Eguchi's court with a fast and strong hit. He grinned, confident about scoring and landed easily. His eyes were closed, a slightly cocky gesture, as he heard the ball hit the court and then the chain fence. 'Kikumaru: 1. Eguchi: 0', he thought. Opening his eyes, he was puzzled to see Eguchi's triumphant smirk. Searching the court, he saw the yellow ball resting on the ground. On his side.

"Half volley." Oishi said, surprised. "And she wasn't even caught off guard...She planned to use it."

"Eh?!" Eiji gaped. Such a difficult shot wasn't used even by most pros as an offensive measure. "Mou, that's so arrogant!" He exclaimed, not about to say praises for someone whom he had just decided to loathe. "Besides, I only heard the ball bounce once!"

"Maybe your ears just don't work as well as your eyes." Eguchi bit back acidly. Eiji's grip on his racket tightened. "Keep them open from now on."

**~*~**

"Game and set to Eguchi and Arishima!" Ryuzaki shouted, fighting back a smile. Oishi looked satisfied about the pleasant surprise of such strength among the female players, but the real kick to the coach was Eiji's dumbstruck expression. She turned to Yoshifumi and smiled, "Is she always to-the-point like that?"

"Ayumi's play style favors effectiveness rather than elaborate shots. Of course, here she has the advantage of knowing very well her opponent's moves, so she knows more or less what to expect and is being a whole lot more aggressive than usual. On other matches, Jun and her concentrate to find a weak spot and then work on it."

"What about Arishima?"

"Ah, yes, you couldn't see much of Jun's playing today...She's no good at game making, that's Ayumi's role. She has great offense, though. I wouldn't say her smash is as strong as Momoshiro's, but it's very strong for female players. Her height doesn't hurt either."

"Hmm..."

**~*~**

"I lost."

"We lost." Oishi corrected, smiling.

"No, I lost to Eguchi!" Eiji groaned, "Manicured Eguchi!"

"You seem very fixated about her nails." Oishi commented absent-mindedly. "Y'know, they weren't as long as I thought they'd be. I took a good look at them when she shook our hands an-"

"Stop talking, Oishi." Eiji sighed, "How did I not hear her racket hit the ball when she did that half-volley?!"

"Soft touch." Oishi shrugged. "I'm gonna go talk to them. Wanna come?"

"No!" Eiji pouted, turning his eyes to the court where the game Madoka vs. Ryoma had begun, "I'm gonna watch Ochibi-chan beat that girl over there."

Oishi shook his head, concern growing inside his mind. He hoped tempers settled down after a while. Shizuka and Eri hadn't showed any signs of annoyance at losing and Momoshiro and Kaidou, thanks to some deeply-buried instinct of chivalrousness, had been very polite to the rest of the female team. He spotted Eguchi and Jun talking and noticed that the shorter girl was spreading something on her right arm. Approaching them with a smile, he spoke first to Jun. "That was a great match, Arishima-san."

"Jun's fine, I'm not that into last names." She answered casually, throwing a bunch of little braids over her right shoulder. "Wicked Moon Volley, by the way."

"Thanks. I have to admit, and I hope you don't take offense, I didn't expect you guys to be so strong."

"We don't." Both girls answered simultaneously. Eguchi rotated her shoulder and seemed satisfied. Oishi frowned.

"Did Eguchi-san hurt herself during the match?"

"Ayumi." She corrected. The girl took a sip from her water bottle before continuing, "I forced the serves too much. My arm was bothering me a little."

"I see. Please don't strain yourself; it would be awful if you got hurt now that we'll be all training together."

"Don't worry, she won't be doing stupid things anymore." Jun said sternly, looking at Ayumi's back, "She gets carried away sometimes."

"Okay." Oishi replied, puzzled. Just then he heard Momoshiro calling his name and, bowing to the girls, went back to watch the game. Ayumi shot an annoyed glance at Jun.

"Stupid?"

"Don't get worked up because of some guy you don't like, Ayu-chan." Jun said, throwing herself at the grass. "Hand me your mp3 player, will ya? Did you get your hands on Namie Amuro's new single yet?"

"Don't change the topic, you delinquent." Ayumi said, hands on hips. She did get the mp3 player, though, and joined her friend on the grass. "It's not just dislike."

"What is it, then?"

"_He_ is the reason I was late that one time."

"You're _still _hung up on _that_?!" Jun asked disbelievingly

"Hush."

"Senpai!"

Ayumi and Jun looked up to see a freshman running towards them, long braids trailing behind her and a heavy bag thrown across her shoulder. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know we'd be training here today." Sakuno Ryuzaki gasped out, trying to catch her breath. Ayumi sighed.

"Sakuno, didn't you hear the announcement this morning that non-regulars would be dismissed from club activities today?" The girl asked, supporting her weight on her elbows. Sakuno gasped.

"N-no!"

"Sakuno, you _have _to be more attentive." Ayumi said, slightly exasperated. "Well, you might as well stick around. Ryoma's your friend, right? His game should be almost over."

"Eh? Ryoma-kun is playing?"

**~*~**

The only surprise during singles was the fact that Kawamura lost to Yuka. Apparently, the gender of his opponent affected his 'Burning!' persona. Ryuzaki was, though, very much pleased. She had expected the girls to be very inexperienced, but that wasn't the case. With some training, they'd have a fabulous mixed team. "All right, everyone, gather up! We're gonna announce our integrated pairs."

Eiji took a deep breath, stealing a glance towards Eguchi. She was laughing at something that Ren Murasaki had said before jumping on Jun's back and dangling herself from the taller girl's neck. She looked very carefree and not at all concerned with pairs. This brought Eiji a spark of hope. Maybe she knew they wouldn't be paired together.

"Oh, and before I forget!" Ryuzaki exclaimed, bonking herself on the head, "I have to explain how the championship will be like. Since teams will have the double amount of players, there will also be double the matches. That means, for Doubles, we'll have four pairs. Doubles 1A, 2A, 1B and 2B. For Singles it means you'll play someone the opposite gender of you. Now, for the pairs:"

The acrobat relaxed. Heck, they could pair him up all they wanted now. Eiji was satisfied now he had avoided future hours of torture in case he got stuck with Eguchi. Poor Oishi, would have to handle her...Then again, he was the one saying her nails weren't so bad after all. Let the Seigaku Mother deal with the delinquent daughter. Arishima was just extravagant, but he was pretty sure the talk of her being part of the yakuza was a lie.

"Murasaki Ren and Tezuka Kunimitsu, you'll be training for Singles 1. Shiratori Masumi and Fuji Syusuke, you're Singles 2. Jukodo Madoka and Echizen Ryoma, Singles 3. Ono Yuka and Kawamura Takashi, also Singles 3. All Singles, go talk to Inui. He'll give you some directions. Then go to court and start practicing whatever he tells you to."

Now, he was a little concerned about the championship. If the girls at Singles had to play guys, then they would be facing all the schools they had faced on the past. Eiji felt like ice was melting inside of him. From what he had seen, they weren't up for the challenge yet. Hopefully Inui would be able to fix that.

"Doubles 2B: Yanagimoto Shizuka and Momoshiro Takeshi. Doubles 2A: Mifune Eri and Kaidou Kaoru. Doubles 1B: Arishima Jun and Oishi Syuichirou. Doubles 1A: Eguchi Ayumi and Kikumaru Eiji. You all can go to Inui as well."

Eiji turned a bright smile to Jun, walking up to her. The girl looked at him quizzically and then at Oishi, who just sighed and shook his head. "It's useless, Eiji. I know you heard Coach."

The burgundy-haired boy felt the corners of his smile twitch and he swallowed. "C'mon, Oishi..." He began, but the pair was already walking away. He felt rather than heard someone approaching him from behind and turned around slowly. Staring at him like he was the plague, Eguchi looked just as unhappy, if not more, than he was. Eiji sweat-dropped, unsure of what to do. Thankfully, Eguchi took care of that.

"Just move and don't talk to me."

**~End of Chapter Two~**

**Chapter Three Preview:**

_Ayumi approached Eiji reluctantly, following Jun's lead as the tall girl greeted Oishi on her usual, mellow behavior. Eiji offered her an uncertain smile, but Ayumi ignored it. Slumping, the boy watched as Inui handed each pair a long rope and inwardly groaned. When it came to their turn, the dark-haired boy's grin grew considerably wicked. "Here, tie them up around your ankle."_

**Review Replies:**

Tally: "Think of it this way... it's because in males, they possess greater physical strength and solid determination." I do mostly agree to the first part, but not the second. Are you saying girls just cannot feel as determined as men or did I get it wrong? And yes, I know the stars of the series are the boys. The series is mainly about tennis and their relationship as a team, but this fic main focus isn't that. As for the Top 3, I wrote their names as examples, because I've read so many flames to first chapters, where no matches happened, saying it that I felt the need to discourage people like that from doing this to my fic. But yeah, I agree with you. Even because, as I said, I don't want to dwell into the sports itself because it takes too much explaining, especially when those three are the opponents. And did I write Eiji was playing singles o.o? Thanks for the review!

ltifal: Oh, don't worry about that lol. I'd rather focus on two pairings. I had to create all the OCs because, well, I needed an entire team. I'm not taking the trip down a multiple couples fic, it's too troublesome and takes the focus away. Thanks for taking the time to review!

Charmane: Yes, I used to write about them. My YYH hype has died, though. And yes, RyoSaku is one of the pairings, although I'm not sure how deeply I'll explore them. The focus is mainly Eiji. For instance, Sakuno shows up on this chapter, but interaction between those two happens only on the third. But stick with me, okay? Thanks for reviewing!

A: Thanks for encouragement and hope to live up to your expectations! \o/


	3. Smash: Inui's most terrible assignment

**Disclaimer: **Only won the OCs ;D.

**PARTS IN ITALIC ARE EXTRACTS FROM INUI'S NOTES!!!**

**Integration**

If there was ever a fearsome sight, so terrible as to inspire horror and sorrow in all of Seigaku, that sight was Sadaharu Inui about to test a new theory, be it liquid or not. Yet, the real threat of that person was only fully understood by the Seigaku Boys Tennis Team, consisting of merely an urban legend to the rest of school. So, the girls weren't really concerned about how he would conduct the first integrated train.

**Smash: On how to strike a face and Inui's most terrible assignment!**

_Day 1_

_ Teams defined:_

_Singles 1: Tezuka Kunimitsu and Murasaki Ren_

_Singles 2: Fuji Syusuke and Shiratori Masumi_

_Singles 3: Echizen Ryoma and Jukodo Madoka_

_Singles 3: Kawamura Takashi and Ono Yuka_

_Doubles 1A: Kikumaru Eiji and Eguchi Ayumi_

_Doubles 1B: Oishi Syuichirou and Arishima Jun_

_Doubles 2A: Kaidou Kaoru and Mifune Eri_

_Doubles 2B: Momoshiro Takeshi and Yanagimoto Shizuka_

Inui, after re-reading the teams definitions, closed his notebook and smiled pleasantly at the rather large group before him. Although expressions ranged from indifferent to utter discontentment, all seemed joy to himself. Here was an urgent problem, demanding great sacrifices so that the objective (that is, a strong team) could be achieved. Of course, the sacrifice part had none to do with him.

Hence the sadistic smile.

"Oi! Stop smiling like that and say what we have to do already!" Momoshiro exploded (both in temper and cold sweat), no longer being able to hold his anxiousness. Shizuka stole a rather uneasy glance at her partner, politely folding her hands in front of her.

"Patience, my friend..." Inui answered, his smile broadening. "As far as singles go, I'll ask only that you do your usual practice together with your partner. For now." He added, noticing the intense relief that emanated from the singles boys. "However, for doubles..."

Inui watched, enjoying the anxious looks and imagining the moment when the girls indifferent expressions would change. That change of attitude, he thought, was essential to determine their personalities and predict how the relationship between the pairs would go.

"For doubles, I shall bring out...The ropes!"

_Arishima Jun: Was not surprised. Probably thought this was a natural course of action, a crash-lesson on the new partners._

_Yanagimoto Shizuka: Seemed uneasy. Perhaps worried that Momoshiro's weight and height, plus loud behavior, would be dangerous to her small build._

_ P.S: Worried proved correct._

_Mifune Eri: Excited. Excited at the new challenge or being tied up to Kaidou?_

_ Note to self: Research on female crushing._

_Eguchi Ayumi: Jaw dropped. Then, expression darkened. From dropping jaw to Jaws._

"Jun-chan, this is _ridiculous_!"

"Oh, c'mon, we had to do the same thing when we were paired up together." Jun replied patiently. Ayumi looked at her in desperation.

"But I don't mind you! He's my sworn nemesis!"

"Oi, oi...Don't go around calling perfectly fine people 'nemesis', Ayu-chan." Jun sighed, patting the other girl's head. "Now, let's go join them like normal, professional tennis players."

Ayumi pouted, crossing her arms tightly. Even though she didn't like Eiji, Jun had brought up, without really making it explicit, the sore spot of the girl's team. Whereas the boys team received plenty of attention and were hauled as heroes by the students, the girls were greatly unknown, despite their good results. Even financial support was on way different levels. The girl didn't like the integration idea, but no one could deny it was the best chance to even out the teams, both in the supporting and financial aspect.

So, Ayumi approached Eiji reluctantly, following Jun's lead as the tall girl greeted Oishi on her usual, mellow behavior. Eiji offered her an uncertain smile, but Ayumi ignored it. Slumping, the boy watched as Inui handed each pair a long rope and inwardly groaned. When it came to their turn, the dark-haired boy's grin grew considerably wicked.

"Here, tie them up around your ankle."

_Impressions on first day of doubles training:_

_D-2B: Momoshiro/Yanagimoto: Great difference in speed, partly due to leg length. Yanagimoto has better precision in her shots, but her shy disposition still has to find balance with Momoshiro's personality._

_D-2A:Kaidou/Mifune: Problems in leadership. Both have strong tempers and Mifune's carefree nature clashes with Kaidou. (Suspicion that she was excited by being tied to Kaidou increased)._

_D-1B: Oishi/Arishima: Best results. Oishi's precision, plus Arishima's strength, complemented each other well, although there's room for improvement._

_D-1A: Eiji/Eguchi: Catastrophic. Eiji's acrobatics ended up by dragging Eguchi down to the ground. She showed great protectiveness over her manicure, since realizing the fall made her break one nail compelled her to smack Eiji with her racket._

**Integration**

"Does it still hurt?"

"Yes. Is it still swollen?"

"Only a little." Oishi replied uneasily, hoping Eiji would buy it.

"It feels like I'm growing a second head."

'Looks like it, too' Oishi thought, examining the other boy's cheek.

"Mou, I knew that girl was evil!" Eiji groaned angrily, kicking a peeble.

"Well...Did you really have to jump that far? You know she isn't used to playing with you."

"But did she have to hit me?!"

"No, no..." Oishi sighed, then smiled comfortingly. "But, hey, training is over! We can go home and rest!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Eiji shrugged, crestfallen. No matter what anyone said, he couldn't get his spirits up. How could he rest knowing that tomorrow, after school, he would have another round against Eguchi-of-a-Thousand-Glares? "Y'know what bugs me the most? I can't remember doing anything to get on her bad side!"

"Hmm...When was the first time you spoke to her?"

"I guess during the first year. We have been always in the same class, ever since high school began. She was normal then, but one day she just turned vicious." The burgundy-haired boy answered, scratching his nose. "Looking back, her attitude towards me has actually improved over the years, but it turned bad again with this integration thing."

Oishi smiled, "Maybe she's in love with you."

"OI! Don't even joke about something scary like that!" Eiji shouted in shock, halting. "I'd rather drink Inui's juice!" He completed, while Oishi laughed.

"Don't worry too much, Eiji. Tomorrow will be better, I'm sure."

**Integration**

Eiji stretched, a broad smile on his face, as he walked to school. The sky was completely blue, without any clouds, making the sun the only round, white-hot 'imperfection'. When the wind blew by, leafs would twirl down from the tall trees lining the way to the school's main building. It was just the kind of day he found invigorating, making Eiji feel good beyond normal. "Hey, Fuji!" He shouted and waved, seeing the other boy a little ahead turn in acknowledgement. "Morning!"

"Good morning." The tensai replied with his usual smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Awesome!" Eiji grinned, adjusting the bag where he carried his training stuff. "How was your train yesterday?"

"Oh, it'll get better. From what I hear, it probably went more smoothly than yours."

For the first time that day, Eiji frowned. "I'll say." He grunted, automatically touching his cheek. "Who knew Eguchi could hit like this with such thin arms?"

"Look at it from the bright side: At least you know she's not going to drop her racket."

"Ha ha, I'm so relieved." Eiji replied ironically as they entered the classroom. His eyes went over to Ayumi's desk. Although her things were already there, the girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Fuji! Kikumaru! Is it really true you guys are training together with the girls now?" Makoto Honda, another classmate, asked the duo as they sat down. Refusing to deal any longer about the only subject that could cloud his mood at that point, Eiji let Fuji deal with the answer.

"Yes, Honda-kun."

"Wow! Does Eguchi really play? How does she manage, with all that production?"

"Oh, she manages it just fine." Eiji replied, despite himself, unable to fully hide the annoyance from his voice. Makoto blinked at him, unused by the cheerful boy's mood.

"Are you the one she's playing with?"

"Yeah. Fuji's playing with Shiratori Masumi." Eiji said, trying to divert the topic from him again.

"Oh! Shiratori-san! She looks like a model!" Makoto grinned mischievously, while Fuji chuckled and replied he hadn't really been paying attention to that. "Oi, Kikumaru! Is that why you're so bummed? Don't be so greedy, Eguchi's not bad either!" Makoto teased, not noticing how Eiji's expression darkened.

"Not too bad, you say?" Eiji grinned darkly.

"Yeah...I mean, she's more pretty than, y'know, breath-taking, but hey! She's fun."

Fuji, who had been listening to that exchange while minding the door, suddenly turned to the ticking bomb Eiji had turned into but, as rarely as that happened, wasn't fast enough.

"That Ayumi Eguchi is the ugliest girl I've ever seen! And she can't keep up with me to save her life!" Eiji said loudly, scoffing.

**Integration**

"Nice print, idiot."

Eiji ignored Ayumi's 'greeting' as she walked to the other side of the court, focusing instead on his warm-up. His cheek still tingled from her earlier slap and Makoto's uneasy and desperate attempt to lighten up the mood with his little 'Wow! Eguchi could just stop using a racket and slap back the balls!' only made matters worse.

"Is her hand-"

"Still printed in red all over your face? Yeah." Oishi answered Eiji's whispered question. "Why would you say something like that knowing she could walk in any minute?"

"I don't know what got over me." Eiji pouted miserably, "I never say stuff like that."

Oishi sighed. "Just forget it. Let's have a good practice today!" He smiled, trying to cheer his friend up. Eiji's smile was weak, but it was already a beginning. Leaving his former pair to finish his warm-up, the vice-captain went over to Jun. "Hey, Jun."

The girl looked down at him and grinned "Yo, Oishi. What's up?"

"Is Ayumi still mad at Eiji?"

"About this morning or mad in general?"

Oishi sweat-dropped. "This morning".

"Nah, I don't think so." The girl answered, stretching her arms. "Listen, I know she's been acting pretty lame. She knows it, too. She just doesn't like him, and I guess it'll take some getting-used time before she's more pleasant, y'know? Some girls are freaky like that."

"Right." Oishi nodded, staring at Ayumi. She was whispering something in Sakuno's ear, giggling when the later blushed furiously. Curious, he watched as Ayumi made an encouraging, eager face and Sakuno nodded, slowly making her way to Ryoma.

"N-Ne...R-Ryoma-kun?"

The boy turned his golden eyes inquisitively to the stuttering girl, who seemed to make a great personal effort before adding:

"C-Can you help me warm-up?"

Ryoma stared at her, ignoring her fidgeting. "Sure." He shrugged, proceeding to help Sakuno as if he were helping Horio or something. Oishi sweat-dropped, marveled by Ryoma's innocence. He noticed Ayumi shaking her head in the background, half-dismayed, half-amused.

"See?" Jun said, "She's not that bad."

**Integration**

"Gather up, everyone!" Inui called, after the uneventful practice (mostly because it had been more of a physical prep one than game playing) was over. "This was a good practice, but it's not over yet."

"Eh?! What are you talking about, senpai?" Momoshiro asked, voicing most of their thoughts.

"Basically, there's still ways to go as far as knowing your partner goes." Inui replied, smiling. "Since that kind of knowledge comes only from interaction, communication and since we also don't have that much time to do such things as we would like to...I have homework to all of you. Of course, this has already been discussed with coaches and both captains." He paused, but the worry from both teams turned them speechless.

"Well, this is it: Each person will spend this weekend with his or hers pair. Saturday is the day for one of them to do whatever they like, and Sunday is for the other one to choose. I'll interview each pair _and _ask for proof."

"So, basically..." Masumi Shiratori asked quietly, "You're telling us to go on dates?"

"Only if you choose to look at it that way." Inui replied, smiling brightly.

Eiji groaned, stealing a glance at Ayumi. This time, however, the girl was too shocked to glare at him.

**~End of Chapter Three~**

**Chapter Four Preview:**

_"Oishi, what is this place?!"_

_ "I think we're underdressed." Oishi answered stiffly, watching as Ayumi and Jun made their way toward them._

**Review ;D**


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